


First and Foremost, Despite Everything

by Jedi_Bant



Category: X-Men (Movies), X-Men: First Class (2011) - Fandom
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-01-04
Updated: 2012-01-04
Packaged: 2017-10-28 22:11:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,117
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/312708
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jedi_Bant/pseuds/Jedi_Bant
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Raven always knew she had a home despite everything she'd done and Charles knew that she was first and foremost his sister AU X3 Xavier lived. First Class compliant</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Raven POV**

The house hadn't changed. It probably hadn't had any major changes made to it since it was built, whenever that was. There were a few additions here and there, the basketball courts, more parking spaces and the garage was bigger; of course she also knew there were many alterations below ground; catacombs containing Cerebro, the hanger bay and other such things to help the X-Men protect the humans.

Mystique…no Raven, she reminded herself, she was one of them now, her gifts, her powers stripped away from her, by the 'Cure,' leaving nothing but this weak,  _human_  body, nothing to separate her from the rest of the flock, nothing in the eyes of the one man she thought understood her, loved her, the one man she had loved.

Anger surged through her, not for the first time, and she was certain not for the last. After everything they had been through together, everything she had done for the Mutant cause, for Him; and he just left her there without a second thought, without even looking back, only a muttered comment about how he would miss having his eye candy around.

She hadn't moved when Erik left her, abandoned her. It had not been long until troops had swarmed the area. They'd stopped short at finding a completely naked woman curled up in the fetal position lying on the floor of the truck. It hadn't even occurred to her to cover up, she hadn't worn real clothes in over twenty years, only those created by her mutation. She hadn't worn anything since she went with Erik and he convinced her that she was beautiful in her natural form and that it shouldn't be hidden or covered up, that she should be proud to be a mutant.

She pulled at the sleeve of the shirt she was wearing now. The soldiers had been quick to clothe her, removing their jackets to cover her nakedness. She had been clothed ever since but she still found them restrictive and tight, overbearing, smothering. Ever since that first disastrous battle she had allowed herself to stand out, to show the world her 'mutated' body, proud to be noticed, difference, no one had ever mistaken her for a human when she was in her true form. Now she had to cover, hide, blend in, and ironically it was so much easier without her gifts, she had not been given a second look since loosing them.

She had gone with the soldiers, allowed them to dress her and this time did not object or struggle when they imprisoned her, and once she had gotten over the shock of everything that had happened to her, she no longer refused to answer their questions. Every detail of every plan, the co-ordinates of every base of operation and every safe house, the strengths and weaknesses of each mutant in his army she had revealed to the military.

After all, as the saying goes, Hell hath no Fury.

They had held her in a high security bunker for several days; then with no explanation given she had been transfer to a women's prison to await trial. They had thought that now 'cured' a normal prison would hold her, it did, for all of two day. She had learnt many things under Erik's guidance not all of them relied on her mutation. As soon as she recovered from the shock of everything that had happened in a few short days and she tired of the prison she was gone.

She had simply wandered for days or at least it felt like she had. It wasn't until she looked up and saw a sign for Westchester that she realized her instincts had kicked in. She was going home.

There was never any doubt in her mind that her 'brother' would accept her back with open arms, well maybe for moment, he would probably question her extensively to make sure she didn't have any ulterior motives but no they had grown up together she would always find a home with Charles. The problem would come with the other occupants of the house, it wasn't like the old days after their parents died, or even with the first team of mutants to live and train at the mansion, many of the current occupants she had tried to kill in the past, the rest would have heard stories of her exploits with Magneto.

The other problem was her pride.

Could she bring herself down to the level of crawling back to where she started, could she bring herself to admit that Charles had been right all along, could she admit that she had been wrong? Charles had given her a choice all those years ago on that beach; he hadn't held her back, she wondered now if he had known this would happen. His telepathy had always made him seem all knowing and though she knew he wasn't, she still wondered sometimes.

In the end she had given into instinct and it had brought her to Xavier's School for Gifted Youngers, the last time she was here she had to break in, this time she would walk straight up to the front door…and hope.

She had no doubt that if Wolverine answered the door, he would recognize her for who she was and attack without question, part of her wanted him too, it would be better then continuing on as she was. Still another part of her, still held out hope that her mutation could be restored, that there would be a cure for the cure, that it wasn't as permanent as the scientists had boasted.

The bell rang signaling the end of class and the beginning of another. Raven melted back into the trees, waiting till the last child had disappeared back inside, then waited another few minutes just in case of stragglers. Finally sure that no one was around she left the safety of the trees and moved across the gardens towards death or sanctuary.

* * *

 **Charles POV**

He had felt her presence a few days before. Old habits die-hard and he automatically resisted the temptation to read her mind. Hank had told them of her brush with the cure and as much as he wanted to know how is little sister was coping with her change in circumstances he had made a promise to her all those years ago that he would never read her mind, if anything he was a man of his word, Charles would not go against Raven's wishes unless it would save lives, he wouldn't do it for his own curiosity.

He had always thought of her as Raven, even after she renounce the name and took Mystique as her new identity; but no matter what she believed she would always be his Raven, the little girl who impersonated his mother so poorly despite her amazing gift, and who showed him that he was not alone in the world that there were others like him.

It had hurt when she had left to go with Magneto but from the moment she had walk naked into the kitchen he had known that he couldn't give her what she wanted, they didn't have the same philosophies anymore and he couldn't, wouldn't force her to see things his way even though all it would take was a single thought. Had he done that he would have been as bad as Shaw and everything he was fighting against; to influence another's mind in such a way would prove the government right.

Truthfully he had expected Raven to pass through, to avoid him even though they both knew he was always accept her back, no matter what she had done in the past, despite her current condition; but she was proud, he had not expected her to be able to put aside her pride, to come to him when she needed help. He was delighted to be proven wrong.

As soon as he felt her presence he dismissed his class, pausing only to give out that nights homework assignment. The children had looked to each other in confusion, they were only a few minutes into the day's lesson, but children were never ones to look a gift horse in the mouth when cutting class was involved, within minutes his office was empty.

He made his way quickly to the elevator, checking as he went for the other adults in the building and their locations. Good, Wolverine was in the garage, tinkering with one of the many cars, it would not do for him to meet up with Mystique before the Professor.

The halls were empty and Charles was able to open the doors just before Raven reached the stoop. She stopped short and they simple studied each other for a moment. The Charles backed up. "Lets go upstairs," he headed back to the elevator trusting her to follow she wasn't far behind.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am trying to get a mix of Charles from First Class and Xavier from the other X-men movies, just so your forewarned he may seem OC to some.

Once in Charles' office, Raven closed the door behind her, Charles was already over at the mini bar that stood in one corner, he pulled a bottle of water from the fridge and grabbed a green apple from the bowl on top, then returned it and removed a red one instead. He tossed both to her, which she easily caught, one in each hand.

"Do you still prefer the red ones?" He asked, gliding around behind his desk and motioning her towards a chair.

"You remembered," she focused on the apple, suddenly unable to look at her brother.

"Of course, a throwback from when you refused to eat anything that wasn't the same colour as your hair."

Raven couldn't hold back a snort, "Drove the housekeeper mad, I went a little nuts after I worked out that you were serious about always having food from then on."

Charles smiled, "Only a little. Eat, I know your hungry, being on the run can do that to a person."

She finally made eye contact at that, "Has it been on the news?" The cynical part of her believed that any moment now she would be kicked out of the mansion, she needed to be prepared.

"Yes, though it has calmed, you know have the news works, give it a day or two and no one is interested anymore."

"Good." She went back to staring at her apple, she studied the different patterns her bite marks left, Charles was right she was hungry.

"Why are you here Raven?" he asked when she didn't continue.

"Like you haven't read my mind already," she snapped back, finally looking up and holding his gaze, challenging him to deny it.

"I made a promise to you many years ago that I would not read your mind, I have honoured that promise when it hasn't endangered the lives of others. I am trusting right now that you are not here to hurt anyone within this school. If that is not the case then I will quite happily delve into the deepest areas of your mind to find the truth behind your visit here. Do I need to?"

Raven shuddered; she had no doubt that he would.

"I'm not here to hurt anyone, honestly I don't know why I came at all I should go, this was a bad idea." She stood and made for the door.

"Raven," she paused, "came back and sit down."

She could hear whirl of his chair as the motors turned and when she turned back he had moved around the huge desk and had stopped next to where she had been sitting.

She wasn't sure if he had been waiting to see if she was there to hurt him or if maybe he thought he could stop her leaving by moving closer, perhaps it had just been habit to sit behind the desk. Whatever the reason she felt better without the huge object between them and she moved back to sit.

Charles studied her again and despite the confining clothes she was forced to wear she felt exposed by his gaze, she pulled her legs up onto the chair and wrapped her arms around them. It didn't help much. Once again Charles seemed to read her easily without reading her mind, just as he always used too.

"What happened to you Raven?" he asked with gentle inquisition.

"Humans happened," She spat poisonously. "Humans and their cure. They've destroyed everything I am, all my power. I'm nothing now."

Charles shook his head, "No, I don't want to know what happen to Mystique, I wish to know what happened to Raven. What happened to the little girl who impersonated my mother to steal food, what happened to the girl who crawled into my bed after she had a nightmare, who held me when I lost control and it felt like the world was screaming in my head. What happened to the young women who encouraged me through my many thesis' and who would flop down on top of me when she thought I was working too hard. Where's my little sister Raven?"

She growled and shot out of the chair, wanting distance between them suddenly. He was just as frustrating as he'd always been. "That little girl died over forty years ago, humans tried to kill her on that beach and they succeeded."

"Then why are you here Mystique," he used her alias pointedly, "why have you come to Raven's childhood home if you are not her and she is dead?"

She let out a screaming groan of frustration and started pacing the room again, "I don't know, I've already told you that, why must you be so frustrating."

"Despite what you may think I am not purposely trying to frustrate you, I am trying to understand why you have come here of all places when in the time since you left you have tried repeatedly to tear this place and it's residence apart."

"You know why. You tried to help the humans, protect them, work with them; they have done everything in their power to tear us down, to destroy us. We offered to help them, we gave them the chance to live as equals to co-exist and they spat in our faces tried to lock us away, study us like animals. Yet you continually try to help them, nurture them into accepting us when they should worship us. They want to treat us like animals so why shouldn't we treat them like the lesser beings they are!"

All the while she ranted at him, Charles did not show any sign of frustration or anger, he kept the same expression listening but neither approving nor denying her allegations and opinions.

"You're one of them now, you're not a mutant anymore, you never will be."

The quiet, level statement, contrasted sharply with her angry tide leaving her breathless.

He continued, "From what we have been told of the cure, you are now and will forever be a human, you're one of  _them_  there is no them and you, you are the same now, there is no difference anymore."

She stopped in front of the window and stared out at the world she was even more convince she was about to be thrown back into.

"Of all people I thought you would understand, that you would try to help me find a way to be me again." Her tone was angry still.

"I want to help you Raven, I want us to be a family again more then anything but I this point I do not know if I can trust you. I have over four hundred children in this school all relying on it to be a safe haven for them from humans and mutants alike. How can I let you stay when I can't trust you not to loose your temper over the slightest misdemeanour? I can not stand what Eric has done to you, you're so full of hate, so angry."

"Yes I'm angry, I'm furious. I spent over 40 years of my life doing everything and anything that man ever asked me to do, I have impersonated politicians, generals, janitors, men, women, children, humans and mutants, anyone he asked of me. I've broken into high security facilities to steal artefacts, technologies and national secrets. I've killed for him. I ever poisoned you, my own brother because he asked it of me." She gestured wildly as she paced the floor in front of him.

"And when that solider aimed at him, I stepped in front of what I thought was a bullet without so much as a thought," her pacing slowed to a stop in front of the window and she looked out at the children outside placing basketball without seeing them.

"He didn't even look back. He completely dismissed me as if everything I had ever done for him was worth nothing. He knew I'd saved him, said so him self, then left me there to rot. He didn't even attempt to help me, he left me there for the soldiers to find, abandoned me after all we'd been through, all I'd done for him. I loved him Charles, and I thought he loved me." She couldn't help the sob that broke through her hard exterior.

She glanced back at her adopted brother, a tear breaking free without her permission. Somewhere in her rant Charles had expertly moved himself out of the wheel chair that was his constant companion onto the more comfortable couch that he kept in his office for students and guests. Without really moving or saying a word he invited her to sit with him and she found she couldn't resist. Raven moved quickly over to curl up beside her brother, letting go of all the despair she'd been concealing since she'd been shot with the cure.


	3. Chapter 3

"Storm,"

The woman in question looked up from packing up from her day's classes. Marie, formerly know as Rogue, was hovering in the doorway.

"Marie, how have you been?" She asked with a welcoming smile, "Sorry I haven't had much chance to talk to you since you got back."

Marie shrugged as she moved into the classroom. "That's alright we've all been busy trying to get everything back to normal."

"How have you been, no one has been giving you a hard time have they?" the teacher asked.

"Most everyone is pretty accepting, it was my choice after all, some act like I've betrayed them. The rest are just glad that touching me isn't going to get them killed."

Ororo stopped what she was doing and directed all her attention to her student. "Half of the student population here could kill another with a single touch or less, your mutation was nothing to be scared of. You would never have intentionally hurt anyone under this roof, I am sure of that, as are your friends. Anyone who thinks otherwise has not taken the time to get to know you. Do you need me to talk to them? I may not have been very supportive of your decision but at the end of the day it is your life and your choice."

"Thanks but that would probably cause more problems the it would solve."

Marie was grown woman now so Storm simply agreed for now though she wasn't happy with any of her students feeling uncomfortable in what was supposed to be a safe haven for all. "How can I help you then?" She asked changing the subject, though she planned to bring it up again at a later date perhaps with Charles.

"I was wondering if you knew what's wrong with the Professor?" Marie asked.

"Wrong?"

"Yeah, I was in study hall this afternoon and two different classes the Professor had scheduled came in saying he'd sent the away, I'm supposed to be in a class with him now but he sent us away too. Is there a mission I don't know about, has something happened?" She was worried about the Professor, but also a small part of her wondered if something was going on that she was not being told about now that she was no longer a mutant, was she no longer trusted in her human state.

Storm shook her head and frowned, "I haven't heard anything but it could be something he hasn't briefed us about yet. Let's go see if we can find out."

She left her previous task without second thought. The room wouldn't be used again until the next day, and she was a tidy person anyway, anyone who used the room in the meantime would have no problem working around her things. The professor was more important either way.

Most of her students she would have sent back to whatever they were supposed to be doing, but even without her abilities Rouge was still one of the X-Men and could be helpful if there was something more sinister going on.

They moved through the halls at a normal pace. No matter what was going on the Professor would not appreciate them disrupting and worrying the students by barreling through the hallways. They acted as if nothing was wrong and they were just teacher and student off to some appointment or another.

The same could not be said for Wolverine.

Logan stalked down the hallway at far from a sedate pace, sniffing the air and looking around as if searching for someone; a lot of the students were giving him weary looks, but they were use to his moods and knew to steer clear, many of the older students were encouraging their younger counterparts as far away from the animalistic mutant as possible.

"What has got you in such a state, Logan?" Storm asked with a sigh, she along with the students had gotten use to Wolverine's intricacies and mannerisms, "and must you trail such a mess through the school?" his muddy boots and greasy hands were leaving marks on the normally pristine surfaces of the mansion, no matter how many times she asked, that the Professor asked, there was just no changing Logan and sure enough he ignored her complaint.

"Mystique," he growled.

Both women's minds went immediately to protection of the students.

"Where?" Storm asked.

"I don't know I can smell her but I haven't found the end of the trail yet." He continued past them following the invisible trail.

"The Professor!" Rogue exclaimed; linking here earlier worries with this new information she shot off in their previous direction, now giving no regard to the other students and hiding her worry from them.

Wolverine easily snatched her back before she could get far. "Slow down, we don't want her to know we're on to her. Why do you think she's with the Professor?"

"He sent away every class he's had scheduled since just after fifth period." She explained, starting off again which Logan allowed but at a much slower pace.

"If she had the professor then why wouldn't he call us telepathically, she would never know," Storm questioned, she also started off in the direction of Xavier's office.

"If she's done something to him, or threatened the students he'd do just about anything she wanted." Rogue countered.

"Didn't she get hit by the cure?"

"I don't care if she is human, that woman's dangerous," Logan growled.

Just short of the Professors office, Storm broke off from the group, signally silently that she would go in from the outside, slipped into the closest room and climbed out the window, wind whipping through the heavy curtains as she disappeared from sight. Logan didn't even pause at the door, pushing Rogue behind him and throwing the doors to the office open, claws unsheathing as he entered.

It had taken about a half hour but Raven had eventually calmed enough to slip into a deep slumber. At this point she was curled up on the sofa with her head in Charles' lap with him carding his hand through her hair, it was almost as if the forty plus years they had been apart had never happened.

They had been in this position for just over an hour now, and he had sent yet another class off to study hall, his third in total for the day, it was only a matter of time before someone became suspicious but he wasn't willing to disturb Raven from her rest which she so obviously needed and so he put off contacting anyone for now, whoever he did contact would just want an explanation he couldn't give or would want to come and check on him.

Despite his independence, his disability meant the majority of his students had always became protective of him within a short period of time and that protectiveness only grew the longer they stayed at the school leaving students such as Ororo and Hank with an extreme overprotectiveness. Didn't matter that he could freeze or even kill just about any person who came within half-mile radius of him with a single thought.

He was so focus on Raven however that he didn't sense Logan until he burst through the doors, adamantium blades drawn, followed closely by Marie, then Ororo through the window, winds roaring.

He was quick to block the pathways between Raven's auditory nerve and her consciousness, leaving her blissfully unaware that anything was happening, the blanket he had pulled over her earlier thankfully shielding her from the gale-force winds.

The three X-Men took in the scene before them and the winds died down suddenly though claws remained. All three looked on in confusion at the dark haired woman out cold on the professor's lap.

"Good evening," Charles greeted calmly, "I'm sure you all have a perfectly good explanation as to why you have all barged in here and why the door was not a suitable entrance." He added to Ororo.

"Mystique," Logan growled, starting towards the professor and his charge.

"Touch my sister and it will be the last thing you do in this house."

Logan stopped short, normally threats the Professor made were in jest and fairly harmless. This one was deadly serious.

"Sister?" Marie asked puzzled, "Mystique is your sister?"

"Indeed she is, sadly her ideals leaned more towards Erik's point of view then mine. When I parted ways with Erik, she went with him."

"Then why the hell is she here now?" Logan demanded, if looks could kill Mystique would have been six feet under but he kept himself in check unsure if Xavier would follow through with his threat or not.

"She's a danger to the students Charles, a wanted fugitive." Ororo argued. "She can't stay here."

Charles turned his stern gaze to her, "This mansion has always been and will always be a sanctuary for mutants; she is no danger to any of us."

"She isn't a mutant any more, look at her," Ororo pointed out.

"Do you suggest that we should throw Marie out of the mansion too then?" Charles nodded towards the other 'cured' mutant in the room who was giving Storm a look that was a mix of anger, shock and sadness.

Storm immediately backpedalled, "no of course not, Rogu-Marie is one of us, an X-Men."

"As was Raven, actually you could say she was the first person I recruited to the X-Men."

"Marie hasn't tried to kill us on multiple occasions, Mystique has, she also poisoned you and helped to kidnap Marie. You can't in good conscience allow Mystique to stay in the mansion.

"All the crimes she has committed she has done on Magneto's orders and he betrayed her; if John decided that he had been wrong and that he wanted to return to us, would you turn him away?"

"No, of course not, but John is an easily influenced teenager who stupidly believed Magneto's spiel and who I highly doubt will ever see the error of his ways, just as I very much doubt that Mystique has seen the error in hers."

"You will forgive me if I do not share your opinion but at the end of the day I am the headmaster of this school and I say that she and any other mutant from the brotherhood that sees the error in their ways is welcome here, even if they are from Erik's inner circle; however I will not take the risk of endangering the students by allowing Mystique to roam the mansion freely; equally I will not kick my sister out of the only stable home she has ever had. I will not allow Mystique to stay, but Raven is more then welcome, and is my responsibility." The last part was in a tone that indicated its finality.

"They're the same person, Chuck," Logan pointed out in argument despite the tone.

"And you are an uncontrollable animal that is unsafe to be around children." Charles said bluntly.

Logan growled and Storm made to argue but he continued.

"In many ways our mutation define who we are and we are all extremely dangerous for children to be around but they do not define us in all ways. Yes Mystique has done many wrong and even evil things in her years with Erik, but I know that the woman I grew up with is still in her somewhere, I have seen some of that today and I know I can help her back on the right path." He continued to brush her scalp gently. "Though I regret it, I do acknowledge that it will be awhile before I can trust her to wander the mansion alone, she will remain supervised until then."

Though none of them were happy this time the uninvited group all assented grudgingly.

Seeing no more arguments he continued, "now if you don't mind I find it unlikely that Raven will respond to your presence very well, I would like to be alone with my sister. I will come and find you later in the evening to discuss this with you and the rest of the X-Men. Please keep this amongst yourselves for now."

With nods of assent from the women and a grunt from Logan, they all filed out of the room, through the door this time. Marie paused just before leaving.  
"Is she alright?" she asked referring to the dried yet obvious tear tracks of the woman's pale face.

"She has been hurt deeply but she will be."

Marie nodded and went to close the door behind her.

"Marie,"

She stopped,

"Thank you for caring, I know she has hurt you in the past but I hope you can look past that, she is going to need friends in the days to come."

Charles returned his attention back to Raven and Marie closed the door without reply.


End file.
